


At Home

by Cat2000



Category: Firefly, Serenity (2005)
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Day 3, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:46:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29435544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cat2000/pseuds/Cat2000
Summary: Disclaimer: I don’t own anything from the television series Firefly, or the movie Serenity, and I’m not making any money from this ficSummary: Serenity and its crew feels like home
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7
Collections: Purimgifts 2021





	At Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Storyteller1358](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Storyteller1358/gifts).



> Warning(s): Spoilers for the series and the movie; minor references to canon character death

River had been trapped in her mind for such a long time. It should have been a familiar place, but really, it was scary. She still struggled to tell the difference between the past, present and future. It wasn’t as bad as it had been. Most of the time, she knew. She could differentiate. The confusion was just occasional now.

She walked along Serenity’s decks, humming dreamily to herself. She might not be able to see the space that surrounded the ship, but she could _feel_ it. And that comforted her.

There were so many ghosts on the ship. So many memories that lingered; that whispered to her.

She wanted to share those impressions with the others, but on her better days, she remembered that they still grieved the loss of their friends, of their family.

She didn’t grieve. There was no need to, because they were always with her. Sharing the space inside her mind. The good along with the bad.

Serenity too. The ship had its own space inside River’s mind. Inside her head. Serenity occupied the space that had once belonged to her parents. Serenity was _home_.

It had taken her brother too long to realise the same. Simon was smart. Not as intelligent as River, but he was closer to her level than the rest of the crew; the rest of the _family_. But sometimes, that very intelligence clouded his intuition. He looked at the cold, hard facts. And it had been his responsibility to save River for so very long.

Not anymore, though. Since she’d led the crew to Miranda and showed them the history that had been burned inside her mind, she didn’t need her brother to keep on protecting her. And he was free to pursue relationships outside of being with her.

There was a little bit of confusion playing in her mind today. She’d done this dance before. Followed this same path before. In her dreams, in her mind, in reality? Was today the day she would interrupt her brother as he looked for some privacy with Kayleigh? Or had that happened last week? Would it happen tomorrow?

“River.” Inara’s voice broke into her reverie. Stopped the dance and her rhythm.

River turned, slowly, to look at the woman.

She supposed the two of them might be considered alike, in a way. Both had bodies and skills that made others want to use them. Both were on Serenity to escape something; or had been, perhaps. Inara no longer seemed to be moving away, but now reached for a different thing.

The only thing she now ran from were the demons that haunted her dreams.

“I think Simon’s with Kayleigh,” Inara said.

River heard the words she _didn’t_ say. That maybe Simon could do with some privacy. She didn’t put voice to what she thought, though.

“Does Serenity feel like home to you now?” River asked, focusing on Inara’s face. “Will you stay for good now?” A tiny note of hope crept into her voice. The others hadn’t left, at least not willingly. She could feel their ghosts lingering all around her.

Inara paused and River could tell she was choosing her next words carefully. All of them did, around River. Even if they didn’t mean to, they saw her as a child who needed to be protected and sheltered from the world.

None of them could see the things that she saw. If they had even a glimpse inside her mind, they’d know that what she saw had wrecked her innocence a long time ago.

Inara looked into River’s eyes and asked, “Do you want me to stay?”

“It’s not home if not all of the family is here. At least not truly,” River answered.

Inara looked around, almost as if she too could see the ghosts that lingered around them. She then looked back at River. “Would you like to come inside my shuttle?”

It wasn’t a vow to stay, but River took the invitation for what it was.

The promise of hope.

** The End **


End file.
